Tom, Becoming

Thomas Burroughs is a cold harsh businessman who doesn’t care for anyone but himself. When Thomas fires a young woman, it stays in his mind. Thomas is not used to anything bothering him, especially firing someone. Still, it makes Thomas realize how much people barely tolerate him, including his wife and sons, who leave him anyway. This upsets Thomas a lot, so he follows them to Canada in an attempt to win them back. In doing so Thomas begins to see how much his callous treatment of others affects everyone. Thomas undergoes a change, becoming Tom: a better person to the people he works with and his family, making a difference to everyone he knows. In doing so, Tom wonders if he can stay the person he has changed into, or will her revert back to who he was before.

This true-to-life, heartfelt novel of a man’s journey through life touches every emotion; the deftly told story moves seamlessly and beautifully giving an exact picture of places and people. The book does end abruptly, with questions about the characters left unanswered. This abruptness may leave readers feeling bereft . The male protagonist Tom, at first is a mean unfeeling jerk who readers will hate, but as the book progresses he does a complete turnaround showing many redeeming qualities making him likable by the end. The minor characters surrounding Tom show his amazing transformation from unfeeling to loving, is quite moving.  “Becoming Tom” is filled with the trials and tribulations of an ordinary ruthless businessman becoming an extraordinary guy! This thought-provoking book will really enchant readers.

Roslynn Ernst